Selwyn Duke
If you understand the relative
superiority of the free market, none of our government's recent business
bailouts will find favor with you. Yet, while Uncle Sam's involvement in the
auto and banking sectors is bad enough, nothing is more bone-chilling than
proposals to bailout media.
The
reason for this should be obvious. If auto manufacturers become dysfunctional,
our cars may break down. But if media become so, society can break down. After
all, we make decisions as to what policies and politicians to support based on
the information at our disposal, and that information — or misinformation, as
the case may be — is delivered by the media. If we had to rely on word of
mouth, how much would we know about the war in Afghanistan, global warming
theories or the death of abortionist Dr. Tiller? How much of an impetus would
there have been for hate-crime laws if the media hadn't manipulated people with
gratuitous and tendentious coverage of politically incorrect crimes? Would we
have the present affirmative action for women if we hadn't been inundated with
misrepresentations relating to the male/female wage gap? It's said that
knowledge is power, and we should note a correlative: those who deliver
knowledge are powerful. The fact is that the media can shape public opinion
(and, in fairness, the public can shape the media).
Read the rest here.
selwynduke.com 
Leave a reply to Walt Cancel reply